Despite claiming to have ‘many friends’, over a third of 16–34-year-olds in Britain feel lonely at least once a week, according to new research by Ipsos UK in partnership with JOE Media.
The findings, released as part of their Modern Masculinity campaign, reveal a growing “loneliness limbo” among younger generations — particularly young men — who report high numbers of social connections but still experience frequent isolation.
They also reveal differences between younger and older generations (for more on managing the different health risks facing a multigenerational workforce, check out our panel session on this topic at the Make A Difference Leaders Summit on 9th October in London, agenda and registration available here).
Loneliness despite connection
The study found that 36% of 16–34s feel lonely at least weekly, with 11% feeling lonely every day. This is despite 75% of young people saying they have ‘many’ friends — a figure even higher among young men (81%) than women (69%) showing that the gap, for them, is proportionately wider.
Ipsos’ Chief Client Officer Richie Jones points to a disconnect between the quantity of friendships and the quality of emotional support they provide.
Commenting on the findings, he said:
“A significant proportion of Generation Z are stuck in a loneliness limbo. They have many friends, yet still feel alone.”
Workplace implications: time and confidence are key barriers
The findings also highlight key barriers to forming deeper or new connections.
Among the younger generation – 16–34 year olds – the research finds:
- 36% say lack of confidence stops them from making new friends
- 29% blame a lack of time due to work
- 21% don’t know how or where to make new friends — more than double the rate of older adults (9% of 55–75s)
With work cited as both a source of friendships and a barrier to them, the research reinforces the importance of cultures that foster genuine social connection and community, not just surface-level interactions.
The research also revealed stark gender differences that could point to the need for more gender-tailored approaches to Social Wellbeing at work, too. For example, younger women are most likely to make new friends through work (42%), while for young men, bonding often occurs “side-by-side” — through watching sports (35%) or playing video games (38%).
Friendship gaps and gender divides
The fact that young men (30%) are more likely than young women (18%) to have made a new friend in the past month, also suggests differing social dynamics between genders.
The research also shows:
- Young men are more likely to say they have many female friends (47%) than women are to say they have male friends (30%)
- While men lean towards activities-based bonding, women more often build friendships via mutual contacts (36%), hobbies (32%), or family (31%)
Oli Dugmore, Editor at JOE Media, said that the research reveals deeper truths about the state of young people’s relationships:
“In some ways, this polling is even more important than our previous work on dating. It shows the real-life challenges young people face when trying to build fulfilling friendships — an area too often overlooked.”
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